


subtlety

by DoctorFitzy (KittooningMalijah)



Series: Hauntober 2020 [30]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: Broken Bones, Established Relationship, Fluff, Hauntober, M/M, Secret Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-30
Updated: 2020-10-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:14:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,531
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27281776
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/KittooningMalijah/pseuds/DoctorFitzy
Summary: In which the boys aren’t as subtle as they think they are when it comes to keeping their relationship a secret.
Relationships: Deke Shaw & Jemma Simmons, Trevor Khan/Deke Shaw
Series: Hauntober 2020 [30]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1948561
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	subtlety

**Author's Note:**

> for Hauntober day 30: "skeleton"

Deke winced at even the gentlest of pressure to his injured arm, stubbornly keeping his eyes aimed down at his feet to hide the tears that had started to form. He hadn’t thought things through before screwing around, that much was clear, and now he was paying the price for it with a level of pain he wasn’t used to, anymore. The only  _ good  _ thing about the situation was that they were in the Lighthouse, and he had his boyfriend there to offer his help. 

The fact that said boyfriend was a SHIELD agent and no one on the base actually knew they were dating wasn’t important.

“Ow, ow-  _ ow!  _ You’re holding it too tight!”

“Deke, relax. Breathe. I saw how you fell, and you’re not exactly screaming and crying in pain, so it’s probably just a sprain or a bruise.”

Stopping in his steps, Deke finally lifted his head to look over at him with a sniffle, the first sign he'd let show that he was in much pain at all. It was worse when he first fell, but it still  _ hurt,  _ and though the pain had dulled to a throb, it wasn't going away. "It  _ hurts..." _

The hand disappeared from his injured arm and he had to take a deep breath to stop himself from reaching out again until he felt Trevor's hand on his back, instead. "Okay, come on. We'll take you to Simmons, instead. She can probably help you faster than medical." He almost flinched when the touch returned, gentler, fingers wrapping around his unscarred wrist to keep his arm still while they walked that much faster.

Panic coiled in his gut, then. He was used to his boyfriend being calmer than this, not as worried over what should be a simple injury. He watched horror movies at midnight for fun, rarely even flinching at jump scares or plot twists or monsters, and the only  _ real _ stress Deke had ever seen in him was during the attack on his company, and even that was mostly after people actually got hurt, including Deke himself. This was Trevor's  _ emergency _ urgency, and the fact that he was using it at all was terrifying.

-

"I don't think he hit his head at all, but I didn't realize how bad his arm was, either, until he showed me. He, uh... he thought it would be funny to slide down the railing of the stairs, like in movies? I was so stupid to let him do it, I-"

"Agent Kahn, I need you to take a step back so that I can examine my patient, please." Jemma shot him a pointed look before turning her attention back to her grandson's arm, applying gentle pressure to his skin to gage where, exactly, the pain originated from. After a moment, she stood up straighter, looking over at him again with a smile. "Actually, if you'd like to do something to help, he'll need something to drink. Staying hydrated is very important when it comes to any injury, especially one where he's worked up and upset. Water would be the obvious choice, but you know what he likes better than I do."

Hesitating, Trevor bit his lip and glanced over at his boyfriend for a moment, taking in the sight of fresh tears and quickly nodding his head. "Yeah, okay... I'll be right back."

Once he left the room, Jemma moved to brush away a few tears with her thumb and let out a soft sigh. "Oh, Deke. You really shouldn't be doing anything like that, you know. It only works in movies because it's a controlled environment. Unfortunately, SHIELD headquarters is not one of those." She shook her head and moved to grab a few things, still speaking as she went. "I'll talk to medical about getting you some x-rays, so I can be sure, but I think it's just a break. Once we see exactly where your bone broke, I can set it so it can heal properly, and we can all go about our days."

Deke sniffled again, glancing toward the door with a weak frown.  _ "Just  _ a break...? Trevor seemed really worried, and he doesn't  _ get  _ worried. It's not in his nature."

His grandmother shook her head before moving back over to his side with a softer smile. "You're going to be just fine, I promise. As for agent Kahn... well, there's nothing wrong with a little healthy worry. He's been keeping an eye on you for over a year, now, hasn't he? He was bound to grow attached, eventually."  There was something in her eyes that made him pause, but he didn't have the chance to question it before she spoke again, her tone unreadable. "And he is rather nice to look at, isn't he? There are worse things than having a strong, capable SHIELD agent around to worry over you."

Blinking, he pushed the pain in his arm out of his mind for a moment while trying to process the meaning behind her words. "Yeah... aren't you  _ married _ to one? What does it matter to you if  _ my _ SHIELD babysitter is  _ rather nice to look at?  _ Is something going on with you and Bobo? Should I be worried?"

Jemma laughed and shook her head again quickly. "What he looks like doesn't matter to me at all. I'm simply making an observation. And I happened to  _ observe _ that he did seem very worried about you, but if you say that worrying isn't like him, then maybe I misread the situation." She still had that look in her eye while she moved to grab a tablet, doing something that he couldn't see.

Before Deke got the chance to question it further, the door slid open and his attention was drawn to the familiar glass bottle being held out toward him. "Hey, I found some lemonade from that brand you like. That's probably a million times better than water, when it comes to you." Trevor was smiling, but the expression seemed a little forced with the worry still shining in his eyes. "So, what's the diagnosis?"

"Nana says I probably just broke it and you're overreacting." He took the bottle with a watery smile of his own, relief filling him now that he didn't have to be alone with such an odd topic for conversation, whatever it might have been. "Seriously, you worry too much, and you  _ know _ that makes me worry, so I don't know why you do it."

_ "Sorry _ for being concerned for my  _ best friend's _ safety."

Glancing between them for a moment, Jemma cleared her throat to get their attention. "I arranged with the team downstairs so that we can get some imaging to be sure, of course. And, Deke, about what we were discussing before, I don't think I misread  _ a thing." _ In that moment, the look in her eyes wasn't a mystery anymore, and he was filled with fear for a reason completely unrelated to the potential seriousness of his injury - because the look she gave him was a  _ knowing _ one.

-

Deke was still getting used to the cast on his arm while they packed their bags into the trunk of a rental car a few days later, trying to stretch his fingers after attempting to carry one of his own bags with his bad hand. He'd dropped it, almost immediately, but the strain on his smaller muscles didn't go away when the weight did, and he frowned even while sliding into the passenger's seat.

Once the doors were closed and the engine was started, he turned his head and spoke up quickly. "So, Nana almost  _ definitely  _ knows about us. I don't know how, because I didn't say anything to her or anyone else, but she  _ knows." _

Trevor frowned and glanced over at him, shaking his head. "Well,  _ I  _ didn't say anything. Anyone on base knowing would mean I'd get reassigned, and I clearly can't leave you alone for more than five minutes or you'll find some  _ other _ way to break your arm in two places."

"She knew when I broke it. I bet it was all your worrying that gave it away."

"What makes you think it was that? Maybe your face when I brought you a lemonade tipped her off."

"Maybe it was the fact that you brought me  _ lemonade. _ She's not stupid, Trevor, she knows what lemons mean, in the future. I've explained it to her, and Bobo, and Mack, and Coulson. And I'm pretty sure Daisy knows what they mean, too. But you just  _ had _ to bring me my favorite lemonade."

"Yeah, I had to. Because I found it, and it's your favorite. I'm a nice boyfriend, like that." Trevor smiled over at him, shaking his head while he relaxed in his seat. "Why are we taking a commercial flight home, again? It would be so much faster to let SHIELD take us. I'm still assigned to the area, I could justify the request."

Shaking his head, Deke reached over enough to gently nudge him with his elbow. "Because first class is way better than a quinjet.  _ And _ I sprung for the seats with  _ extra  _ extra leg room. I'm a nice boyfriend, like that."


End file.
